Paying for it
Funding for home accessibility work in Ontario
Four programs matter, they cover different things, and the order you apply in changes how much you get. This section explains each one in plain language and says clearly where the official information is unclear.
We’re not government benefits experts — this is our understanding of these programs based on public information, and rules can change. Always confirm details directly with the program before applying.
Start here: the Assistive Devices Program does not pay for stairlifts
The 75% figure families keep hearing is real, but it applies to mobility devices — wheelchairs, walkers, scooters — not to anything attached to your house. Ontario’s own ADP page lists stair lifts, lifting devices, ramps, porch lifts and home renovations among its exclusions.
A lot of stairlift retailers advertise “ADP funding available” anyway, which sends families down the wrong path for weeks. The program that actually pays for a stairlift is the Home and Vehicle Modification Program.
The four programs
Home & Vehicle Modification Program
The stairlift one
Provincially funded, run by March of Dimes Canada. Ramps, stairlifts, roll-in showers, grab bars, widened doorways. Requires an OT assessment and that you use up other funding first.
How HVMP works →Ontario Renovates
Varies locally
The biggest single pot for most families, but it’s provincial money run by municipalities — amounts, income caps and whether it’s even open right now all depend on where you live.
What it means in your city →Tax credits
Up to $3,000
The federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit is the main one now. The Ontario Seniors’ Home Safety Tax Credit is gone — it ended after 2022, whatever vendor sites still say.
HATC and what replaced what →Assistive Devices Program
~75%
Equipment a person uses — wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, hearing aids. Not changes to a building. Genuinely useful, just not for the work in this directory.
What ADP actually covers →Two guides worth reading before you apply
Which program covers what
Find your situation — just a stairlift, a bathroom, a full renovation, a wheelchair — and see which programs apply, in order.
Scenario guide →The order to apply in
HVMP requires you to exhaust other funding first, so applying in the wrong order costs you money. No government page explains this.
Sequencing guide →Where the official information is unclear
We think being straight about this is more useful than sounding confident. While researching these programs we could not resolve the following, and you should treat any source that states them flatly with some suspicion:
- HVMP’s income limit. Intermediaries state a $60,000 household maximum. Ontario’s page says only that people over $35,000 “may be required to contribute” and gives no maximum.
- HVMP’s $15,000 cap. Cited consistently by third parties, absent from ontario.ca. We could not confirm it at source.
- Ontario Renovates has no provincial answer to anything. Amounts, income caps, asset caps and application windows are all local. Ottawa’s $20,000 and London’s $25,000 are both “Ontario Renovates”.
- Whether HATC and the medical expense credit can be claimed on the same expense. One well-regarded tax site says yes; a 2026 industry blog says the federal government ended it. We could not verify either way. Ask a tax preparer.